AAge-bachi - Wooden sticks used to tension the ropes on tsukeshime-daiko. See also tate-jime and hon-jime.Atarigane – Also known as chan-chiki or kane. A hand gong. It is often used to keep time. It is played held in the hand or suspended by a cord. The gong often decorated with tassels called fusa. It is struck with a deer horn mallet called the shumoku. BBachi – Also buchi. General term for drum sticks. Also refers to the plectrum or pick used by shamisen and biwa players. There are a staggering variety of bachi in many size, shapes and materials. The most common woods used are kashi for nagado-daiko, hou for shime-daiko, and hinoki for Odaiko and Yatai-bayashi. Almost all taiko are struck with bachi, the only exceptions seem to be the kotsuzumi, ootsuzumi and Yooko.

Bin-sasara - Also ita-sasara. A rattle-like instrument made of many small slats of wood connected by a spine of string with a handle at each end. By flicking the handles back and forth, the slats strike each other,

creating a "zipping" sound.Biwa - A round backed lute with a cranked neck developed from the Chinese pipa, and played with an over sized plectrumcalled a bachi. The biwa has three strings and four frets. Often played in conjunction with the singing of oldhistorical tales, eg. Heike Monogatari, but also a solo instrument in it's own right.Boo-sasara. A long, notched stick that is rubbed with a smaller stick. Similar to a guiro.Bu - Traditional Japanese measure. 10 bu make one sun. Subdivided into 10 units called rin. Roughly equivilent to 3 mm inthe Kana system. See also shaku.Bubinga - English name for the Toboku tree of West Camaroon.Bugaku - Classical Japanese Court Dance. Accompanied by Gagaku music. The dances are divided into Dances of the Left, and Dances of the Right. See also Gagaku, Sahoogaku, Uhoogaku.Buna - The Japanese beech tree. Used for bachi.Busho-dai – A low, lightweight stand used to hold a classical shime-daiko at a slight angle. Used while playing the shime- daiko from a seated position. Similar to, but slightly heavier and sturdier than, a teren-dai.Buyoo - Classical Japanese Dance.Byoo – Tacks used to nail the heads on certain taiko.Byoo-daiko – Also Byoouchi-daiko. Is a general term for a nailed-head drums.

Our thanks to Rolling Thunder, Dan Coates, John Ko, and Tiffany Tamaribuchi for their contributions to this glossary!